Phys 15b: Lab 0: Parts Checkout 1

February 2, 2005

Experiment 0: Parts Checkout, Physics 15b

Check out your kit by Friday, February 11, 2005

A Non-lab?

You will NOT have to turn in your lab book, after doing this “experiment”—which is
not really an “experiment” at all, but only a chance to confirm that your box of tools and
parts is complete and functional, and then—to keep you from getting totally bored—a little
soldering exercise. In the process you will gain a little familiarity with some of the items.
If there are any parts missing, or if the meter, transformer, or soldering iron do not work
properly, come to the help lab, Room 301 in the Science Center. Members of the lab staff
will be there Friday, October 1, 4-6 PM.

Note: The lab kits are not returnable. We regret this policy, but we can’t change
it. So please be sure you want to take the course, before buying your kit. Since this “Lab
0” doesn’t ask much of you, you should have more than a week to make up your mind before
you commit yourself by buying the kit.

Procedure:

1. Parts check

Verify that every item on the tools and parts list attached to this write-up is present in your
toolkit. Find some space to lay the larger things out so you can be sure all are in order.
If a part is missing, don’t panic; just make a note of the part, and next time you come to
help lab pick up the missing part.

2. Meter check.

Read the instruction booklet for your meter. Follow the directions on page 9 of the book to
install the battery. The small flathead screwdriver should work in the phillips head screw at
the back of the meter. Install an AA battery and notice your meter’s fuse (small gray cylin-
der with metal caps); you have a spare one to replace it if it blows. Carefully zero the red
(AC) and black (DC) meter scales. This is done by adjusting the clear plastic screw located
in the center bottom of the display window. (What is the mirror on the display window for?)

Before you do this next step take time to think about what the different test probe ports
are for and why there are two sets of them. This is important.

Plug in the test probes and read the voltage of one of your new AA cells with your meter,
using a scale appropriate for 1.5 volts. Touch one meter probe to each end of the battery,
the positive probe to the button. Record the voltage in your notebook as precisely as you
Phys 15b: Lab 0: Parts Checkout 2

can. Interpolate within a small division, using the mirror scale to eliminate parallax (move
your head until the needle is on top of its mirror image).

Check the zero of the ohms scales on your meter by touching the ends of the test probes to
each other. Make sure you make good contact. You should be able to set zero on all scales
with the red adjusting wheel.

Note the OFF position on the meter. If the probes touch for a long time while on the
ohms scale, the internal battery will run down. To avoid this (annoying) possibility, it is
best to get into the habit of always turning off your meter after each use.

3. Transformer check.

Unpack the 12V/2A transformer. Peel the two conductors apart for a length of about
2 inches.

Examine your extension cord, and, if it has sockets that turn to close, open them (using
the prongs of the plug at the other end of the cord makes this maneuver). Then plug the
cord into an outlet convenient to your work space. Bend the two transformer wires apart so
they won’t accidentally touch each other, and keep any conductor from connecting between
them, such as a metal table top. Why be careful about this? In electrical jargon the two
ends of the wires coming from the transformer are called leads (sounds like Leeds). Plug
the transformer into the extension cord. Set your meter on an AC scale appropriate for
measuring roughly 12 volts and make contact between a probe and each output wire in
order to measure the output voltage. Make good contact between the lead and test probe
by using the probe tip to push the lead down against the top of your (insulating) workbench
(a wood desk or pad of paper will work fine). (This procedure of measuring the voltage of
an unknown source without touching with your fingers is very important. Never assume
that a device is operating properly, safely check the voltage first!) Record your result. The
voltage should read around 12 volts. If it reads higher than 20 volts unplug the transformer
and notify us. 12 volts is a low enough voltage that you can touch the conducting leads
with your fingers. The electrical resistance of your fingers is high enough so that very little
current will pass. What happens when your meter is set for d.c. volts? Unplug the trans-
former when you are finished.

4. Soldering iron check.

(We plan to show the famous 15b soldering video probably Tuesday, February 4. This
may come after you have done some experimenting on your own. That’s OK: your ex-
periments may help you appreciate the skilled soldering you’ll see. Tom Hayes will try to
perform a don’t demo that same day: showing some really ugly soldering technique.)
Unpack your soldering iron and bend up the central support of the stand. Take your sponge
while it’s still dry and trim the corners with the scissors so that it fits snugly into the plastic
dish. Dampen it with tap water. When soldering, you should work on a manila folder, a
piece of cardboard, or a similar table-covering to protect your desk from any molten solder
Phys 15b: Lab 0: Parts Checkout 3

(or the hot iron itself). The iron does not get hot enough to ignite ordinary materials like
paper, wood, or carpet, but it will char them. Place your iron on its stand, and before
plugging it into the extension cord arrange things to minimize the chance that you, or any-
thing else, will come in contact with the part of the iron that projects from the handle.
It all gets hot, not just the tip. Also, avoid a situation where a tug on the extension cord
will cause the iron to fall to the floor.

The tip of the iron needs to be tinned (coated with solder). Otherwise it will oxidize
and be useless for soldering. For the initial tinning it is important to melt solder generously
onto the whole tip as soon as it gets hot enough to melt the solder. When the solder melts
you will smell the rosin flux which is a blend of chemicals in a core inside the solder. The
flux cleans the material in contact with the molten solder so that the solder can better wet
its surface (a neat bit of surface physics). When you are ready to tin the iron, plug it into
the extension cord. If the iron is new, it may smoke a bit at the start as some oily residues
cook off. It should take between one and two minutes to get hot enough to melt the solder.
During this time keep trying to melt the solder against the tip every few seconds, so that
it will melt and tin the iron as soon as the iron gets hot enough. Put a generous amount of
solder on the iron this first time, and let it cook for ten minutes or so. Leave the solder on
the iron (don’t clean it off, even though it looks awful) and unplug it. The next time you
heat the iron up, you can easily clean off the old solder.

Here is the general rule for soldering iron care - leave the old solder on the iron when
you are done, and only clean it off right before you need to use it again. That way there is
a thicker layer of solder to prevent the copper tip from oxidizing between uses.
(lb0 205b.tex; End of Document)